MY FAVORITE MARTIAN
Directed by Donald Petrie (Mystic Pizza, Grumpy Old Men),
Martian is a quick-paced farce with cute effects and lots of funny
bits. The off-the-wall Christopher Lloyd seems a perfect choice for the
title role (although original Martian Ray Walston is also in the
film), but his portrayal differs only slightly from the Doc Brown character
he played in the Back To The Future movies. Alongside Lloyd is Jeff
Daniels as Tim O'Hara, the confused Earthling who must deal with an unexpected
visit from the eccentric alien. Daniels is equally adequate, since "confused
Earthling" is a stock role for him.
Daniels is Tim O'Hara, a TV news producer who witnesses the crash of
an alien ship. When he investigates, he meets its pilot (Lloyd) who assumes
human shape with the help of special chewing gum. Dubbing himself "Martin,"
he explains to Tim that he's not staying, but he must find a way to repair
his ship and be on his way before the ship's automatic detonation device
explodes and takes everyone with it. Tim knows that this is the story of
the century, though, and he tries to make clandestine video recordings of
"Martin" and his very animated spacesuit, Zoot (voice of Wayne
Knight).
But Tim soon grows fond of the quirky creature, and decides to help him
make a quiet escape. Unfortunately, his dippy news colleague, Brace Channing
(Elizabeth Hurley), has caught on to what's happening and plans to cash
in. Also in the mix is maniacal scientist Dr. E. Colai (Wallace Shawn),
who wants to dissect the creature; Tim's ultra-wholesome camera operator,
Lizzie (Daryl Hannah); and the mysterious man from SETI (Walston).
Though rather formulaic, Petrie's Martian is engaging enough, especially for the under-12 crowd and devotees of the '60s TV show. Penned by Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver, the story contains all the familiar elements for Disney features: overblown physical comedy, bumbling villains, and a honey-sweet love affair. There are many cool special effects using not only computer-generated animation, but puppetry and animatronics as well. Quite fluffy, but still fun. ****